A newly released video shows the shocking moment of a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) F-16 aircraft crash near Shakarparian in Islamabad on Wednesday morning.
An F-16A MLU fighter aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force, 38 Wing, 9 Sqn “Griffins”, crashed near Shakarparian, Islamabad, during rehearsals for the March 23 parade.
According to a PAF spokesman, Wing Commander Noman Akram embraced martyrdom in the incident.
Rescue teams have been dispatched towards the site of the crash, he said.
A board of inquiry has been ordered by Air Headquarters to determine the cause of the accident, the statement said.
إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ
I am deeply saddened by the unfortunate crash ahead of 23rd March. May the departed soul of Shaheed Wing Commander Noman Akram rest in eternal peace and may Allah grant their loved ones sabr. Ameen pic.twitter.com/PDJADnZFKy— Asad Qaiser (@AsadQaiserPTI) March 11, 2020
“Pakistan Air Force reports with regret that a PAF F-16 aircraft crashed near Shakarparian, Islamabad during the rehearsals of 23rd March parade,” said the statement.
Last month, a PAF trainer aircraft crashed on February 12 during a routine training mission near Takht Bhai in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mardan district. It was the third PAF training aircraft to have crashed while on a routine training mission in less than two months.
Footage of F-16 crash today in Islamabad. pic.twitter.com/9avtyqdOhz
— Azhar Laghari (@AzharAliLeghari) March 11, 2020